Dear GTU Community,

For theologians, these are times of both frustration and promise. The frustration arises in seeing the ways that religion gets distorted and twisted in public life as individuals and groups attempt to advance their own particular self-interests in its name. For many in this group, religion gets manipulated in ways that do a profound disservice to the religious and theological traditions relevant to daily life issues. However, the promise comes with realizing that religion is a deeply relevant dimension of public life, and that by attending to its values and nuance, we can build a better social discourse.

The issue of how to frame discussions and issues for presentation in public has received much attention of late, particularly in the work of George Lakoff from the University of California, Berkeley. Political issues, he explains, can most effectively be framed as part of the fabric of a larger narrative. When we do this, Lakoff tells us, we can create community consensus in an intelligible and coherent way.

The connection between idea and action is core to our mission at the GTU. Our students and graduates learn to shape theological issues in compelling and constructive ways, linking them to real social problems and providing real solutions. David Batstone (Ph.D. ’89) is a specialist in business ethics and professor of theology and religious studies and Latin American studies at University of San Francisco. The author of Saving the Corporate Soul, he explores the ways in which behaving ethically, such as providing good benefits to employees, can lead to corporate success. Jennifer Rycenga (Ph.D. ’92), professor of comparative religious studies and women's studies at San Jose State University, investigates how religion helps mold human experience, be it through history, economics, music or gender. She has co-edited Frontline Feminism: Women, War, and Resistance, which frames feminism as a response to periods of war and conflict. These are just two examples of how our graduates act as visionary storytellers, bringing the fruits of their studies to bear on world issues.

Students, faculty, and other alumni continue this religious conversation with the public sphere in this issue of Currents, notably through the research and curriculum planned by the 2005-2006 Newhall scholars as found on p. 6 and 7. I hope that you are as impressed with what they are doing as I am. My very best to each and every one of you.

Warm regards,

James A. Donahue

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